David2018

From emcawiki
Jump to: navigation, search
David2018
BibType ARTICLE
Key David2018
Author(s) Gary C. David, Anne Warfield Rawls, James Trainum
Title Playing the interrogation game: rapport, coercion, and confessions in police interrogations
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, interrogation, policing, trust
Publisher
Year 2018
Language English
City
Month
Journal Symbolic Interaction
Volume 41
Number 1
Pages 3–24
URL Link
DOI 10.1002/symb.317
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

Download BibTex

Abstract

The United States is having an “interrogation moment,” where increasing attention is being paid to what happens when suspects are questioned by the police. The manner in which confessions are secured can go directly to a society's sense of justice and fairness, as nowhere are positions of power and vulnerability so pronounced as in the interrogation room. This paper contributes to our understanding of police interrogation through discussing what we refer to as playing the interrogation game. We explore how rapport‐building helps to create a sense of collaboration between suspect and police. However, once a suspect agrees to answer questions and waives Miranda rights, the game changes. The new game can be more adversarial, aiming for the suspect to give a confession usable toward prosecution. We discuss how police, by knowing and shaping the rules of the interrogation game, have an advantage in the game which makes it very difficult for the suspect to win. Finally, we propose a number of recommendations that could foster a better balance in playing the game. A video abstract is available at https://tinyurl.com/ycqvp94k

Notes